The Bachelor may have already announced its Season 28 lead, with Joey Graziadei set to embark on his second chance at love in January — but let’s be real. There’s only one eligible bachelor whose love life has captured all of America’s attention for the past year, and that’s Tom Brady. Since the retired NFL star’s divorce from Gisele Bündchen, rumors have spread about possible connections between him and many of Hollywood’s hottest singles, from Kim Kardashian to most recently Irina Shayk. But if Brady really did want to get crazy and go on reality TV, it sounds like The Bachelor host Jesse Palmer is all for it, so let’s goooooo!
Jesse Palmer spoke to TMZ Sports about The Bachelor choosing a big-time athlete as one of its leads, and after throwing out names like C.J. Stroud and Justin Herbert, the GOAT entered the conversation. Or, at least his name did, and Palmer very quickly identified a number of angles that proved Tom Brady would be an excellent lead for ABC’s dating franchise. The host said:
He’d be legendary. That’s another one that would be great because you could use all of his houses. I mean we literally could go international. We know he’s in L.A. He’s driving his Rolls Royce SUV around. He’s got a compound he’s building in Miami. I’m sure the guy has a place in Cannes somewhere. That just sounds like exotic dates, overnights, for me right away. So again, very budget-friendly, Tom Brady would be good.
With the way Jesse Palmer so quickly was able to start picturing dates at each of Tom Brady’s houses — with Fantasy Suites in Cannes? Yes please! — I’m actually a little skeptical that this was the first time the host had bounced the idea around. I mean, Joey Graziadei is popular with the ladies, but is he “Tom Brady” popular? Does he have his own yachts and private jet? I rest my case.
This might all sound ridiculous — and it is — but The Bachelor has a stronger connection to the NFL and its former players than one might realize. Jesse Palmer himself played for the New York Giants before becoming the Season 5 lead on the reality dating show. Colton Underwood, Matt James and Clayton Echard are also former leads who spent time with various NFL teams, and several other contestants in the franchise boast football careers, including Dale Moss, Tyler Cameron, Sean Lowe and Jordan Rodgers — estranged brother of Aaron Rodgers.
Tom Brady seems to be in the right mindset too. Just take a look at his recent post to Instagram Stories:
If “fostering deep connections” isn’t a ready-made phrase for Tom Brady’s The Bachelor intro package, I don’t know what is. However, there is one issue that could hinder the “Bachelor Brady” experiment, and that’s the Super Bowl champ’s romance with Irina Shayk. Jesse Palmer didn’t seem to be too discouraged by this, though, telling TMZ:
There is the Irina Shayk issue, but if she’s willing to kind of just chill out, you know, just for a couple months of filming, I think we’re solid.
There you have it, ladies and gents — reality TV producing at its finest. In the grand scheme of things, there are some big question marks surrounding Tom Brady and Irina Shayk’s relationship. While they’ve been photographed showing each other affection, they spent his birthday apart, and just last weekend the model posted several topless photos while having a beach day with her ex, Bradley Cooper.
We’ll continue to keep our eye on Tom Brady’s love life, and if he should ever get lonely, I’m sure ABC can roundup 30 women for him to date simultaneously on TV. Just give Jesse Palmer a call. In the meantime, Bachelor Nation fans have lots to look forward to next month, with The Golden Bachelor and Bachelor in Paradise Season 9 both premiering Thursday, September 28. Keep up with all of the upcoming shows with our 2023 TV schedule.